Why I Have Not “Given Up” On Traditional Publishing By Publishing Indie

Someone asked me the other day if I indie publish because I’ve ‘given up’ publishing traditionally. 

I was a little shocked by the question. 

It’s the kind of like the old ‘did you stop beating your dog’? line.  

There’s no good way to answer that because ‘yes’ is admitting you did it, but no is also admitting you did it.

And I  didn’t do it. 

To say I ‘gave up’ on traditional publishing implies I’d tried it in the first place. And outside of some magazines and contests, I haven’t. 

I’m all about owning your own work. And selling rights to publishers never sat right with me. Also, sitting around waiting to ‘be’ discovered isn’t as exciting as ‘getting’ discovered. 

The difference is ‘being discovered’ relies 100% on other people and timing. Sure, it works for a few, but not for most. 

I’d much rather ‘get’ discovered. The difference in grammar and life is that one is passive, and one is active. (get is one of those funny words that can go either way and in this case, it’s definitely active.)

This is one of the greatest times to be alive for writers, and I’d have to be a fool to base my books’ future on the whims and timing of someone else. 

Take what happened the other day in an open call group I belong to. (It’s a place for open calls for publishers, agents, and contests. I’m only in it for the contests. And the magazines.) 

But the other day, a publishing house showed up with their own kind of ‘contest’. They were looking for new authors to publish. 

I didn’t bother. After all, I’m happy with my books. 

A few weeks later they made an announcement.

Out of the 10,000 submissions, they chose their 3 for the year. 

Their THREE. 

For the YEAR.

Out of ten THOUSAND  entries. 

That’s the reality of trying to publish traditionally. 

And even if you do get chosen you still have to do your own marketing. Seriously, it’s easier to win the lottery. 

Indie publishing is not something to do when you ‘give up’ on publishing traditionally. It’s about taking charge and taking control of your future. 

It’s about carving out a niche for yourself and your books rather than waiting for a ‘hero’ that may never arrive. 

It’s the greatest opportunity a writer has ever been given. 

Throwing it away on a gamble of ‘being discovered’ is really rather foolish when you think about it. 

So how are you planning to take advantage of the publishing revolution? 

 

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